Pumpkin Graham Cracker Ice Cream Sandwiches

Remember a little bitty while back when I made those fantastic Pumpkin Spice Graham Crackers? Well, you know me; I can’t leave well-enough alone. So, I took those homemade gems and stuffed them up good with a heaping pile of creamy pumpkin ice cream.

Hello, Pumpkin Graham Cracker Ice Cream Sandwiches. Mind if stuff my face with you?

What really makes these ice cream sammies special are the homemade pumpkin spice graham crackers cradling the ice cream. They’re chewy and tender, not hard and dry like store-bought. Plus they have those warm and sweet spices to compliment the flavor of the smooth pumpkin ice cream.

This is an ice cream sandwich on steroids. I guarantee you’ve never had a sammie like this from a store. You just can’t compete with soft, delicious homemade graham crackers, which better resemble cookies than crackers, and cool, creamy ice cream to help wash it down.

What a beautiful pair!

These are great for you Thanksgiving dessert if you’re having a bunch of people over. Everyone gets their own sandwich, and they’re MUCH easier to make than a pie!

The best part is, you can make the dough ahead of time, so you’re a step ahead of the game. Save yourself some stress with this simple but pretty dessert. When you serve these to whomever is lucky enough to get a sammy, they’ll be beyond impressed that you made your own graham crackers. You go, you fancy little baker!

A Few Tips Before You Get Cooking:

1. Don’t like pumpkin? You can use any flavor ice cream you like in theses sammies.
2. You don’t have to make all the crackers into sandwiches. Save a few to snack on, or make double batch and freeze half.
3. These would also be great sandwiched with vanilla buttercream or crumbled into a homemade graham cracker pie crust.
4. These crackers go from done to overdone in a split second, so make sure you watch ’em.

Pumpkin Graham Cracker Ice Cream Sandwiches
Graham crackers from Tracey’s Culinary Adventures who adapted from Sweet Cream and Sugar Cones

Ingredients:

• Heaping 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/3 cups graham flour
• 2 tsp. cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp. clove
• 1/2 tsp. allspice
• 1/4 tsp. nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp. ginger
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 2/3 cup packed dark brown sugar
• 3 tablespoons honey
• 3/4 cup cinnamon-sugar
• 1 1.5-qt carton pumpkin ice cream, softened

Directions:

1. Whisk both flours, the baking soda and salt together in a medium bowl. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter, brown sugar and honey on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes (scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary). With the mixer on low, add the dry ingredients and beat just until the dough comes together.
2. Turn the dough out onto a piece of plastic wrap and shape into a disk. Wrap and chill in the fridge for at least 2 hours (or up to 5 days). Remove the dough from the fridge and let it sit at room temperature for about 15 minutes before proceeding.
3. To make the cookies: Preheat oven to 350 F. Line two baking sheets with parchment.
4. Unwrap the chilled dough, and on a lightly floured surface, roll it out into a rectangle about 1/4 inch thick. Using a pumpkin cookie cutter (or a ruler and a pastry cutter or a sharp knife), cut the dough into your desired shapes; use a spatula to transfer the rectangles to the prepared baking sheets as you go, leaving about 3/4-inch space between them. Reroll the scraps of dough, and cut out more cookies.
5. Using a fork, gently poke dotted lines onto the graham crackers. Sprinkle with cinnamon-sugar. Bake the graham crackers, rotating the baking sheets halfway through, until they are golden brown and firm to the touch, about 8 – 10 minutes. Transfer the baking sheets to wire racks and allow the cookies to cool for a minute or two before removing them to the racks to cool completely. The cookies will crisp up as they cool.
6. Once completely cool, spread about 1/4-1/2 cup of ice cream on to the bottom of a cracker. Place another one on top with the sugared side facing up, pressing down lightly to make your sandwich. use a knife to smooth the edges of the ice cream. Repeat with remaining crackers and immediately transfer sandwiches to freezer until firm, about 20 minutes. Enjoy!

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